Hoosiers Face Two Big Ten Foes

2/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling

Bloomington, Ind. - The Indiana wrestling team kicks off a weekend of Big Ten action against No. 3 Michigan on Friday before heading to West Lafayette for a match against No. 15 Purdue on Sunday. Friday's match time is set for 7 p.m. at University Gym, and Sunday's match is scheduled for 2 p.m.

IU enters the weekend with a 17-6 overall record and a 1-3 Big Ten mark. The Hoosiers are coming off a 32-7 defeat against then-No. 12 Minnesota last Saturday.

The Wolverines sit at 14-3 overall and 4-1 in the conference, while the Boilermakers head into the weekend at 17-5 overall and 3-3 in the league.

HOOSIER REPORT
Friday's match against No. 3 Michigan will be the final home appearance for seniors Coyte Cooper and Andrew Wolf. Following the match against the Wolverines, the Hoosiers head to West Lafayette for a battle against No. 15 Purdue.

Last weekend, the Hoosiers dropped a 32-7 contest against then-No. 12 Minnesota in Bloomington on Saturday. Against the Gophers, Cooper and sophomore Joe Dubuque picked up the lone IU victories. Cooper improved to 31-1 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten with a 4-2 overtime victory over 14th-ranked Tommy Owen at 141.

Dubuque scored a 15-4 major decision win over Andrew Domingues at 125. The Bloomfield, N.J., native is now 24-4 on the season (2-2 in the Big Ten) with seven major decisions.

Currently, five Hoosiers are ranked nationally, led by Cooper. Cooper is sixth in the nation at 141 pounds. In addition, Dubuque (No. 10 at 125) along with junior Pat DeGain (No. 8 at 197), sophomore Brady Richardson (No. 14 at 174) and redshirt freshman Josh Buuck (No. 15 at HWT) are in the national rankings.

Last season, Indiana fell to the Wolverines, 25-13 in Ann Arbor, Mich. The last time the two teams met in Bloomington was on Feb. 7, 1997 with Michigan picking up a 28-10 victory.

IU also lost to the Boilermakers last year, 30-15 in Bloomington. However, Indiana defeated Purdue the last time the two met in West Lafayette, compiling a 25-12 win on Feb. 20, 2000. The Hoosiers hold a commanding 46-35-3 advantage in the overall series against the Boilermakers.

HOOSIER OPPONENTS
Michigan: U-M heads into Friday evening's Big Ten match ranked No. 3 in the country. The Wolverines are 14-3 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten, tied with Iowa for second place.

Last weekend, Michigan split a pair of league matches, knocking off then-No. 21 Ohio State, 22-15 in Ann Arbor before falling to then-No. 8 Penn Sate, 21-19 in State College, Pa.

The Wolverines netted victories in six of their 10 matches against the Buckeyes. At Penn State, U-M's fifth-ranked, sophomore heavyweight Greg Wagner upset top-ranked Pat Cummins, 3-2, but it was not enough as PSU held on for the victory.

In addition to Wagner, five other Michigan stars currently sit in the national rankings. Seniors Foley Dowd (No. 2 at 133) and Pat Owen (No. 5 at 165) along with junior Ryan Bertin (No. 5 at 157), sophomore Ryan Churella (No. 7 at 149) and freshman Mark Moos (No. 3 at 125) round out the ranked Wolverines.

Purdue: The Boilermakers enter the weekend with a 17-5 overall record and a 3-3 mark in Big Ten action. Purdue was defeated by then-No. 12 Wisconsin (28-6) in West Lafayette on Friday before bouncing back with a 19-13 win at Michigan State on Sunday.

Purdue lost to the Badgers for the third time his season, managing only two wins on the evening.

With the victory over the Spartans, the Boilermakers established a school record for wins in a season. The prior record of 16 wins was set in 1996-97 and equaled in 1997-98.

Leading the way for Purdue is Ryan Lange. The senior is ranked fifth in the nation at 174 with a 27-3 overall record. In addition, seniors Israel Blevins (No. 9 at HWT), Brad Harper (No. 20 at 157), junior Rene Hernandez (No. 19 at 133) and sophomore Benjamin Wissel (14th at 184) are in the national rankings.

Against Ranked Opponents
Michigan and Purdue will be the seventh and eighth ranked opponents IU will face this season. Thus far, Indiana is 1-5 against ranked teams with its lone victory coming over then-No. 25 Pittsburgh, 19-13 on Jan. 11. IU has lost to then-No. 8 Missouri, 29-15, then-No. 12 Ohio State, 29-17, then-No. 13 Wisconsin, 26-12, then-No. 2 Illinois, 24-13 and then-No. 12 Minnesota, 32-7.

Home Cooking
Heading into their final home match of the season against No. 13 Michigan on Friday, the Hoosiers are 8-2 at home this season. After recording an 8-0 record during its non-conference schedule, Indiana lost to then-No. 12 Minnesota on Saturday following its first home loss of the season to then-No. 2 Illinois, 24-13 on Jan.. 31.

Hoosiers In The Rankings
Senior Coyte Cooper is ranked sixth in the national rankings, making him the highest ranked Hoosier. Joining Cooper in the rankings are junior Pat DeGain (eighth) as well as sophomores Joe Dubuque (10th) and Brady Richardson (14th at 174). Redshirt freshman Josh Buuck enters the rankings for the first time this season, sitting 15th at heavyweight.

In addition, Dubuque's six pins are tops in the nation at 125 pounds, and his 24 victories are good for ninth, while Cooper is second at 141 with 31 wins and fourth with 11 pins. DeGain is ninth with 22 victories in the 197-pound division, and junior Andy Rios is tenth with 23 victories at 184.

Streaking Hoosiers
After defeating 14th-ranked Tommy Owen of Minnesota, 4-2 in overtime on Saturday, Coyte Cooper (31-1) extended his winning streak to eight straight matches at 141. Following his first and only defeat of the season to Jermaine Thompson of Eastern Michigan on Jan. 17, Cooper has reeled off eight consecutive victories.

Josh Buuck had his 12-match winning streak snapped against Minnesota's sixth-ranked Cole Konrad. Buuck dropped a 5-4 match, suffering his first defeat wrestling as a heavyweight. He is now 12-1 as a heavyweight and 15-5 overall.

Buuck Provides A Boost
Josh Buuck nearly pulled off his second straight upset of a top 10 opponent on Saturday, but came up just short against sixth-ranked Cole Konrad of Minnesota (6-5). The loss was Buuck's first as a heavyweight, dropping his record to 12-1. Despite the defeat, Buuck entered the rankings for the first time this season at No. 15.

The redshirt freshman had reeled off 12 straight victories, including three straight wins in his first three career Big Ten matches. Against Illinois on Jan. 31, Buuck picked up the first victory of his career over a ranked opponent, pinning No. 9 Mike Behnke. Buuck entered the Wendy's Duals on Jan. 11 having only wrestled at 197 on the season, but has remained in the heavyweight division and now holds an 12-1 mark as a heavyweight and 15-5 overall record.

Moving Up The Charts
Coyte Cooper and Pat DeGain are climbing up the Indiana career wins and pins lists. With 31 victories this season, Cooper now has 113 in his career, moving into fifth place on IU's all-time career wins list. The senior's 11 pins have moved him into third place on the school's career pins list. Cooper now has 37 in his career, three pins behind former Hoosier standout Roger Chandler.

In addition to compiling a 22-5 record, DeGain netted his 24th career pin against Brady Reinke of Wisconsin on Jan. 23. The junior now sits in a tie for eighth place on the career list with Pat Cassidy, one pin behind Kevin Stanley's total of 24.

Conference Openers
The Hoosiers opened their conference season on the road against the Wisconsin Badgers on Jan. 23. U-W downed IU, 26-12 with Coyte Cooper, Pat DeGain and Josh Buuck picking up the only victories for the team.

The next day, Indiana bounced back with its first conference win, 19-12 over Northwestern. The Hoosiers won their first four matches and six Hoosier grapplers earned victories as Indiana evened its conference record at 1-1.

Record-Setting Victory
With their 43-6 victory over Missouri Baptist on Jan. 24, the Hoosiers improved to 17-4 on the season, setting a new school record for victories. The team broke the previous mark of 16 wins, set by the 1995-96 squad and matched by last year's team.

Goldman Sets Wins Record
Hoosier head coach Duane Goldman became the program's all-time winningest coach as the Hoosiers swept three opponents at the Indianapolis Duals on Jan. 18. Goldman, in his 12th season, picked up his 146th career victory (148-82-4 overall), surpassing Charlie McDaniel's total of 145 wins (145-139-11).

In his career, he has compiled 10 winning seasons and reached the double-digit win plateau 10 times.

Additionally, 43 wrestlers have qualified for the NCAA Championships and 28 grapplers earned Academic All-Big Ten honors under Goldman's direction.

Rolling Through Indy
Indiana reeled off six straight victories on Jan. 17-18. Head coach Duane Goldman became the program's all-time winningest coach as the Hoosiers swept three opponents at the Indianapolis Duals on Jan. 18. IU defeated Carson-Newman, 47-0, Cumberland, 40-3 and Indianapolis, 46-6.

The previous afternoon, the Hoosiers disposed of Duke, 31-8, Eastern Michigan, 20-17 and Truman State, 35-8.

Overall, six Hoosier wrestlers posted undefeated records over the weekend. Josh Buuck (HWT) and sophomore Nick Spatola (133) finished with 5-0 marks. Pat DeGain (197) ended competition with a 4-0 record with Joe Dubuque and true freshman Pat Barth adding 3-0 marks at 125.

Cooper's Streak Stopped
No. 6 Coyte Cooper lost his first match of the season to Jermaine Thompson of Eastern Michigan (7-6) on Jan. 17. The loss snapped the senior's winning streak at 23 matches.

Since the loss, Cooper has rebounded and continued his All-American campaign with eight consecutive victories and sits at 31-1 on the year and 4-0 in Big Ten action.

All-American Candidate
Coyte Cooper has put together an impressive resume worthy of All-America consideration. The sixth-ranked wrestler in the nation at 141 pounds has a 31-1 record, winning individual championships at the season-opening Missouri Open on Nov. 23 and the Northern Iowa Open on Dec. 5. Cooper has 11 pins and nine major decisions in his 31 victories.

IU Just Outside Top 25
The Hoosiers are sitting just outside the InterMat and NWCA Top 25 polls. In both polls, seven of Indiana's opponents this season are ranked, while two IU opponents are receiving votes in the polls. Overall, eight Big Ten teams are ranked in each poll.

Wrestling At The Wendy's Duals
IU went 2-1 at the Wendy's Duals on Jan. 11 downing VMI, 31-6 and then-No. 25 Pittsburgh, 19-13 before falling to Ohio, 25-15.

Senior Coyte Cooper (141) and sophomores Brady Richardson (174) and Joe Dubuque (125) went 3-0 on the day, while redshirt freshman Josh Buuck picked up two wins in his first action of the season in the heavyweight division.

Back At The Buckeye Duals
IU put forth a solid showing at the Buckeye Duals, going 2-1 in its three matches. The Hoosiers dropped its match against then-No. 12 Ohio State, 29-17 before rebounding with wins over Buffalo, 27-8 and Bloomsburg, 23-15. On the day, Coyte Cooper, Pat DeGain, Joe Dubuque and Brady Richardson posted undefeated 3-0 records.

Return To The Mat
Sophomores Matt Cooper and Nate McMillin returned to the mat for the first time at the Buckeye Duals since suffering injuries at the season-opening Missouri Open. Cooper went 2-1 in three matches at 157, downing Chris Tate of Bloomsburg, 7-3 and defeating Casey Burchfield of Buffalo, 15-13.

McMillin participated in three matches as well and has recorded six victories at 165 since the event.

Four Finish First
IU concluded a successful weekend at the Northern Iowa Open, claiming four individual titles and placing a total of nine wrestlers in the top six in their weight classes. Coyte Cooper won his second title of the season at 141 pounds and second straight championship at the UNI Open, dropping second-seeded Jason Rhoten from Minnesota State in the title match. Joining Cooper in the winner's circle were Joe Dubuque (125), Andy Rios (184) and Pat DeGain (197).

Brady Richardson finished runner-up at 174, while redshirt freshman Matt McIntire earned a fourth-place finish at 149. Sophomore Joel Powers (HWT) and freshman Brian Dyer (133) both turned out fifth-place performances, and junior J.P. Stanley carded a sixth-place finish in the 157-pound weight class.

Dubuque Picks Up First Title
By winning the 125-pound class at the Northern Iowa Open, Joe Dubuque collected his first collegiate victory to add to an already impressive career resume.

The Bloomfield, N.J., native swept five consecutive matches, defeating Chris Helegassen of Northern Iowa en route to the championship. Last season, Dubuque compiled a 23-5 record as a redshirt freshman with seven major decisions and three pins.

Freshman Sensation
Brian Dyer, a true freshman out of Naperville, Ill., turned in an impressive performance at the Northern Iowa Open on Dec. 6 in the first action of his collegiate career. Despite dropping his first match, he rebounded with five victories before losing his final two matches for a fifth-place finish at 133.

Brothers In Arms
Last year, the Cooper brothers reunited in Bloomington when Matt joined his older brother Coyte on the squad. Wrestling as a true freshman last season, Matt went 17-22 at 149 pounds. Meanwhile, Coyte enjoyed an incredible season, compiling a 38-5 record and qualifying for his third consecutive NCAA Championship.

In their second season together, the two enjoy pushing each other and seeing each other succeed. Coyte is 31-1 this season at 141 pounds, while Matt is 10-10 at 157 pounds.

Dominating Dual
Indiana opened its dual meet season at home on Nov. 29 with victories over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Manchester. The Hoosiers dominated both clubs, knocking off Manchester, 32-6 and beating SIU-Edwardsville, 36-9. Seven Hoosiers swept a pair of matches including Joe Dubuque, Coyte Cooper, J.P. Stanley, Tim Falls, Brady Richardson, Andy Rios and Joel Powers.

Opener At Mizzou
The Hoosiers opened their season on Nov. 23 with a strong showing at one of the nation's most competitive events, the Missouri Open. Coyte Cooper captured his second collegiate title after rolling off four straight victories to win the championship at 141.

Four other IU wrestlers garnered top-five finishes in their respective weight classes. Matt McIntire placed second (149), Andy Rios netted third (184), Cameron Sakon finished fourth (141), and Brady Richardson claimed fourth (174).